Calls for Canberra GPs to be able to diagnose and prescribe medication for ADHD in a bid to cut waiting timesWhat's next?
Doctors often consider how these traits impact a person's daily life, including their education and employment. "Most of the paediatricians in Canberra express great distress at not being able to help more people. "I've had children whose school communities have signed petitions asking for them to be expelled because of their behaviour."
But Kerrie Aust, a GP and president of the ACT branch of the Australian Medical Association, believes there is a solution: allowing general practitioners to take on more of the workload in straightforward cases. Dr Aust also said there was no denying the financial benefit for patients that would come with a GP-centred model.It was the expense that came with diagnosis that led Harmonie Hovatta to space her specialist appointments out across a whole year.
Once diagnosed, the mother of one started medication, which improved her focus and productivity but negatively impacted her mood. "We're happy to start looking at the prescribing arrangements and whether there might be an opportunity for collaborative prescribing between GPs and specialists," Dr Cidoni said.